


For Want of a Rose

by Doc_Cairo



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-29 08:41:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20793827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doc_Cairo/pseuds/Doc_Cairo
Summary: One week after Spinel's attack on Beach City, something even worse happens.





	For Want of a Rose

Stevonnie strolled casually, barefoot, into the Maheshwaran family kitchen, withdrawing a 2-liter soda bottle filled with water from the fridge. They collapsed into one of the kitchen chairs, unscrewed the lid, and downed half the bottle in a single chug.

Hydration was important.

After it turned out Stevonnie could "healing kiss" the ground even better than Steven could, the recovery and repair of Beach City was going much quicker. Lapis had very nearly finished cleaning the poison out of the ocean, the crater from the injector was almost level, and more than half of the infected land had been recovered. There was still a lot more ground to cover, and then lots of rebuilding, but not bad for a week's work.

They finished the bottle, refilled it from the sink, and returned it to the fridge. They were eyeing the fridge's interior for something to eat when they heard the front door open. They hesitantly removed their hand from the chocolate pudding and grasped an apple instead. No wait… golden opportunity… they grabbed something else. 

As Priyanka entered the room, she saw Stevonnie sitting at the table with a goofy smile, half a carrot in hand and chewing. 

"Nyeah, what's up doc?"

Priyanka smiled at them, sitting down at the table across from them.

"Not much."

Stevonnie had first made themselves known to Connie's parents shortly after that trip to Homeworld that changed everything. They'd both had the anticipated knee-jerk reaction, but came to understand with time. Now they were as welcome as Connie herself, any time. 

"How's the recovery going?"

"Solid." They answered. "Pearl mapped out a grid for efficiency and Amethyst's been planting flags wherever I need to go. We should be done next week."

"That's good. Because Connie's due back at school in two." Stevonnie groaned in response. "Was that her or Steven's reaction?"

"All three of us." They put on their best pleading face. "Can't she just finish high school online with Steven? She could graduate early that way."

"Most of the schools she's looking at won't go for an online certificate." Priyanka countered. "Sorry dear, you're just gonna have to tough it out." Stevonnie slumped melodramatically onto the table, face down. They felt her ruffle their hair. 

"Staying for dinner?"

"Yeah."

"Should I set the table for three or four?"

"...three." They answered after a moment's hesitation. They looked up and smiled. 

"Ok. It's gonna be about an hour. Why don't you go take a nap? You look tired."

"Ok mom…" They yawned as they stood up, the mere suggestion of tiredness enough to already make them drowsy. 

They flopped onto the bed of Connie's room. Light was still streaming through the window so they leaned up to close the curtains. As they lay back, their thoughts drifted apart… not enough to defuse, but enough to converse.

"You called her mom again." Connie said, playful teasing for the most part.

"I know, I keep slipping up." Steven mentally shrugged.

"She didn't say anything this time though."

"Maybe she's hit that new level of acceptance with Stevonnie?"

"Maybe she's just getting used to the idea. You know, for if we get…"

Stevonnie's heart skipped a beat.

"If you two get all mushy, none of us are gonna be able to sleep." They whispered out loud.

"Right, right…" If Steven's voice could blush…

Their components conspiratorial whispers faded as Stevonnie faded into sleep.

* * *

  


…

  


* * *

"Ahhhhh!"

Steven heard a female yell as a thin wooden object smacked him in the face. Caught unawares, he rolled out of the bed with a groan as a second female voice yelled, this one more of confusion than terror.

"Mom!"

"GET OUT!"

"Mom, it's Steven! What's-" Before Connie could finish he took a second whack from what he presumed was a broom handle. His bubble blocked the third blow, and the fourth, as he stood up and got his bearings.

Connie's room, where Stevonnie has fallen asleep.

Connie's mom, enraged, glaring at him and still hammering at the bubble with the hard end of the broom.

Connie, now out of the bed, grabbing her Mom from behind and trying to pull her away. And for some reason Pyrianka froze at Connie's touch, letting her daughter pull her aside, pull the broom away, and start yelling at her. She looked confused and terrified at Connie. Threat of continuing whacks removed, he dropped the bubble and sound returned.

"-can't believe this!" Connie was yelling. "Did you go crazy in the last thirty minutes or something?!" Her Mom continued to stare at her, wide-eyed.

"You can walk…" She said with simple awe.

"Wha- of course I…" Connie responded with confusion. She glanced over at Steven who was staring at the room behind her.

It had changed.

The bed was not her bed. The ordinary bed Stevonnie had fallen asleep on. It was a medical bed, with controls on the side to control motors. And next to that bed, directly behind her, was a wheelchair.

"How… how are you walking?" Her mother pleaded.

<strike> _ She was twelve again. Beach City. Under the cliff, reading a book. The ground shook. The boulder fell… _ </strike>

Connie swayed on her feet for a moment which made her mother grab her and try to push her back into the chair, but Connie resisted.

"Your spinal column was crushed at the L1 vertebrae, this is medically impossible!" Steven was all but forgotten for a moment as her Mom tried to work through parental joy and scientific bafflement. Connie stared at Steven with confusion.

"Connie… I hope your just as confused as I am right now."

"Yeah, pretty much." She responded.

"You!" It seems he'd drawn attention to himself. She brandished the broom at him again. "Who the hell are you and why were you in bed with my daughter?"

"Mom, it's Steven! We just defused in our sleep."

"Defused?" She said. "I don't know any 'Steven', and if I did, whatever made you think I'd allow a boy in your room, let alone your bed?!"

"You don't know me?"

"You don't know him?"

"EXPLAIN." She demanded.

"My best friend? My boyfriend as of recently? For the last four years?!" She stared blankly. "He healed my eyes and Pearl taught me to fight and we've been fighting monsters and aliens with the gems ever since?"

"Connie, what are you talking about?!" Priyanka stared at Steven wearily. "You've been homebound and home-schooled ever since the accident…" Priyanka slid up Connie's shirt sleeve. "Are you on drugs?"

"MOTHER!"

Steven had reached for his phone to text one of the gems about this whole strange turn, but found his pockets empty. All he had on him was his clothes, no phone, no wallet, not even the rubber bands he had in his pocket.

"Mom, something clearly messed up your memory." Connie pushed her mom into a chair this time. "This has gotta be a gem thing, I'm sure of it." She hugged her, then broke away, holding a hand out to Steven and pulling him to his feet. "Steven and I will figure this out, OK?"

"Connie, you aren't going anywhere! I need to take you to the hospital so we can figure out…"

"Mom trust me!"

"No!"

"Fine!" Connie opened her bedroom window.

"Do not-" Connie leapt out to the ground below. "CONNIE!"

"I'm really sorry about this Dr. Maheshwaran!" Steven rushed out after her.

* * *

  
After running a few blocks out of her range, they stopped to catch their breath.

"Ok, your Mom doesn't remember anything." Steven said. "Do you think maybe some gem has a human version of the Rejuvenator?"

"Possible… but that doesn't explain the bed or the wheelchair in my room." Connie reasoned. "And… I've never been homeschooled… and I've never been badly injured where I couldn't walk either. She didn't just lose memories, she has different ones." Connie's hand squeezed his just a bit harder.

"C'mon, let's go talk with the gems. I'm sure we can figure this out."

* * *

  
"Ok, we can't figure this out." Steven muttered in sheer panic as they arrived back in Beach City.

The city was pristine. Absolutely zero sign of the Spinel's invasion or the damage she caused.

In the distance, where Little Homeworld had stood, was a grassy field and empty sky.

"What… what happened here…" Steven panicked. Connie squeezed his hand tighter.

"It's ok… I'm here. We're gonna figure it out." Steven looked at her, nodded grimly, and the pair started through the alien but familiar landscape.

They recognized some of the people. Others were strangers. No gems dotted the town as had been commonplace over the last two years. The more changes they noticed, the more panicked they became. They found themselves sprinting for the car wash. Steven was praying that whatever had happened to Connie's mom hadn't affected his dad.

The van was gone. The landmark sign Peridot and Lapis had creates for the building was gone, replaced by the original "It'a a Wash" sign, although in more disrepair. 

"Oh no no no…" Steven broke away from Connie and sprinted for the office door. "Dad! Dad!" He knocked on the metal door, denting it slightly with nervous force.

"Jeez kid, what did the door do to you?" A female voice answered from the other side. The door opened to an older but familiar woman with blonde hair.

"Vidalia?"

"Yeah?" She looked at him with only mild interest.

"Why are you… never mind. Have you seen my dad?"

"Well gee kid, how should I know?"

"What… please tell me you know who I am…"

"Nope."

"My dad? Greg Universe?" She looked at him skeptically. "He owns this car wash!"

"Ha ha! I own this car wash kid! Eighteen years now!"

Steven's face fell.

"Steven, c'mon. Let's get to the gems." Connie gently pulled him away as Vidalia shrugged and went back inside.

  
"Connie… my dad…" Steven was on the verge of breaking down as they made it to the hillside behind the temple.

"Steven, work with me here…" Connie hugged him and tried to comfort him. "Maybe this is all a bad dream."

"I'm a lucid dreamer, remember?" Steven gestured at his head. "Believe me, I've been trying to change things for a while."

"Alright… well whatever this is, we'll get through it."

They were interrupted as the ground beneath them trembled. They paused for a second. Beach City was not on a fault line. The ground only shook like that twice; when the cluster was acting up, and when a certain other corrupted gem was burrowing underground. Like on that very first day…

Steven and Connie were both knocked down as something burst from the ground. Reddish brown core surrounded by translucent blue. The worm… the corrupted gem… roared at them.

"Is that Coral?!" Connie yelled to Steven as they ran and the creature crawled after them. Since being uncorrupted, she'd met the gem who had first caused Steven and her to get trapped in a bubble at the bottom of the ocean… she was actually really nice and really loved glow sticks.

"How is she corrupted again!" Steven turned back to yell at her. "Coral! Calm down! We don't wanna hurt…" But he stopped mid sentence.

There was a thud. A slice. A cloud of reddish smoke concealing who or what poofed Coral. But as the cloud dissipated, they both saw the impossible.

A pink bubble with Coral's gem above one hand. A familiar pink sword in the other, but unbroken.

White clothes. Pink hair. A giant woman.

"Are you kids alright?" Rose Quartz asked.

Steven lost consciousness.

**Author's Note:**

> This is gonna be really cathartic and really terrible for everyone involved at the same time. Let's just say there will be a lot of yelling before anyone calms down enough to figure out what happened here.


End file.
